What's the last record you listened to?

Listened to some of 'Hell Freezes Over' by the Eagles on the way into work today. A cracking live album!

 

Paddy McAloon, "I trawl the megahertz"

Everyone's been banging on about this album, so I bought it. Know very little about McAloon, really. I saw one of the first Prefab Sprout gigs, and had their first single (in typical arch 80s pop fashion, it was called "Lions in My Own Garden, Exit Someone", which spells out the name of the French town, Limoges, for some arsey reason), but otherwise they made no impact on me. They had a female singer with a silly hat on at the gig, I remember.

Anyway, apparently McAloon went temporarily blind recently, and ended up trawling the airwaves, picking up bits and pieces to use as the (spoken) lyrics for this record, with strings, brass, woodwind and keyboards as accompaniment. Results sound like a man in his 40s with too much time on his hands, frankly. Sonically very pretty, and interesting for the first 15 minutes or so, but ultimately lacking in cajones.

Next up, Albert Ayler's "Witches and Devils", to give things a bit of a kick.

-- Ian

 

The Strokes - 'Is this it?'

best new release since.... the best release that came before it.

I really love this album. might subject it to people on valve day! heheh


havent yet figured why I play this lofi so much on my hifi.

Hopefully it means Im a well 'rounded' individual! - (you ever heard of a well flattened individual?!??!)

Chris

 

this evening its:

Arab Strap, monday at the hug and strap (see other thread)

Eels, shootenanny (arrived today so this is a first listen - hmm not sure, a couple of tracks are good but need more time to judge)

Hallucinogen, Twisted - Simon posford psy trance. I often put this on when I am surfing the web.

Robbo

 

Got up early, intending to do a slow recovery run into work. Instead, I listened to most of You are Free by Cat Power, and the first few tracks of Selling Live Water by Sole. That meant I was running late, so no recovery run, just aching calf muscles.

 

To nurse a hangover, Stacey Kent "Close your eyes" downloaded a few mp3s and thought worth further investigation. Not an album i've played much but a beautiful voice and some of the tracks are really good.

 

just finished listening to "tradional trinidad steel drums",and "the caribean in stereo,an introduction to the music of the caribean",trying to put a soundtrack together for a show im doing in a couple of weeks ,think i'll sneek some bob marley in there somehow

 

Coincidence! Definitely agreed, a live album with definitely feeling of musical "performance" throughout. I was listening to this album last night whilst doing a bit of cable reviewing!

Others albums played last night included:

David Hudson - Didgeralia (Didgeredo & percussion music)

Copland - Fanfare For The Common Man / Dance Episodes From Rodeo, etc

Karl Jenkins - Imagined Oceans (very chilled out small scale orchestral, percussion and vocal pieces, highly accessible and more pop than classical).

Sounds very interesting Hippy! :MILD: Don't suppose you could post up some more details like catalog numbers, etc for those 2 albums. I've been looking to buy some decent steel drum music.

 

em slight error on the title of the first one its actually "the origanal trinidad steel band " cat no by6002/bys76002,on bounty records realesed through polydor.
the second was on a cdr so no details im affraid,it olny had a few steel drum tracks on it,more sort of calypso type stuff

 

Just fading away now, while I work –_Blur's 'Think Tank'.

I've always admired this lot rather than actually liked them; they seem to hold the listener at arm's length. But this is something different. It's a genuine departure, fusing a wide range of styles, fattening them up with dollops of rhythym, and topping the lot off with genuinely arresting lyrics. It's well recorded, too – has real depth.

Result: a hugely involving record that gets better with every listen.

 

I agree, hallucinogen in dub is really good, especially if you treat thyself to a few blunts beforehand, really good psychedelic, feel good, chilling tunes...

At the moment, I'm listening to Way Out West - Intensify.

 

Here comes the Duke LP. Original Trojan compilation of some Treasure Isle rock steady tunes...

 

Currently listening to the new Steely Dan album, 'Everything Must Go', whilst copying it to an MD for tomorrow's walk into work. Quality stuff!

 

Just got some stuff in the post from the states. Currently listening to:

Why? - Miss Ohio's Nameless

 

Currently listening to:

Gling-Gló, by Björk Gudmundsdóttir & the Gudmundar Ingólfssonar Trio

Yes - it is the Björk A curiosity I found a while back. It's basically your standard jazz trio. Piano, bass, drums and Björk singing - all in Icelandic Can't tell you much more because the sleeve notes are all in Icelandic aswell - :club:

It's good though. Nice one to have on when you've got a dinner party or something - you can enjoy seeing who will be the first person to ask "Is that Björk singing??".

Michael.

 

Eyeless in Gaza - Drumming the Beating Heart

Actually, I've been listening to Eyeless in Gaza all afternoon (whenever I play one of their records, I end up playing most of them), but this is the one I'm listening to ATM.

One of the great "lost" bands of the 80s, inasmuch as I really don't understand why they didn't sell millions of records. A duo, Martyn Bates and Pete Becker, still recording, both together and separately. This is a 1982 album, contains some classic, beautiful, DIY electronica and singing, one cast-iron pop classic, the song "One by One", and the utterly gorgeous "Lights of April".

Favourite Eyeless in Gaza album is their first, Photographs as Memories, which includes one of my top 10 electro-pop songs ever, "Knives Replace Air". Other great Eyeless albums: Rust Red September, Pale Hands I Loved So Well, and Martyn Bates' exquisite solo album, Letters Written.

Angular, aggressive, lush, contemplative, sentimental, composed, improvised. They do a bit of everything, really, and they do it better than just about anyone else in 80s pop. They should have been huge.

-- Ian

 

I am just listening to Majesticons vs Infesticons: Beauty versus Ugly (the instrumentals). The Infesticons tracks are dope, as was the vocal version of the album. The Majesticons tracks are massively improved by ridding them of the nauseating vocals.

 

Ian,
Here's a clue as to why they didn't sell millions: You love them :elephant:
It is a shame they didn't achieve golbal domination. If they had, the Japanese tribute band would have been called *Eyeless in Ginza* - which is what I've been a few times over the years :guiness:

 

Joel, I think you may be onto something there...!

-- Ian

 

I was rudely awoken to the sounds of Patsy Cline!